Love
by lulucute
Summary: Kiyone discovers her true feelings for her Taicho tastefully done I should think


Ukitake Jushiro Kiyone Kotetsu

Staining his Dreams

"Ukitake Taicho!" Kiyone chorused with Sentaro, shoving the boy behind her. He grabbed her by the waist and tried to pull him out of his way, but she had a firm grip on the door. Aiming well a kick, she shoved the door open with a loud clatter and rushed up to Ukitake's desk.

"Ukitake Taicho, I have the report you wanted!" She yelled.

"She only has half, I have the rest!" Sentaro yelled too, rushing to the desk and dumping the rest of the report on it.

"You should have let me bring the whole thing, I got here first!" She snapped, glowering at the boy.

"Well actually _I_ wrote it-"

"Only because _my_ pens and paper _mysteriously_ disappeared!"

"That's because you're careless." Sentaro answered, assuredly.

"Am not! You hid them!" She yelled and Sentaro glowered at her.

"Are you saying I'm a thief?"

"No, I'm saying you're a cheating bastard!"

"Take that back!"

"It's only the truth I speak." Kiyone answered confidently.

"Take it back you!" He yelled, pouncing on her and her foot caught him in the face.

"You shouldn't have hid my things!" She yelled angrily.

"Well you should just give up and admit I'm better suited as a fukutaicho!"

"Are not!" The pair stopped; that was supposed to be the point where their Taicho was supposed to and ask them to stop, but there was no such retort. They looked over at the desk where the only white near it was the paper spilled across it.

"Ukitake Taicho?" Kiyone let go of Sentaro and stepped around the desk, there was no one there.

"He's not in idiot." Sentaro scoffed.

"Obviously." Kiyone answered, they looked at each other.

"Wait Ukitake Taicho!" Sentaro yelled.

"We're coming!" Kiyone added loudly, tripping Sentaro and sprinting over him. Sentaro scrambled to get up and chased after her.

"You won't get there first!" Sentaro laughed as his long legs passed Kiyone.

"So what, I have the papers!" She laughed, blowing a raspberry and alighted one of the building roofs, sent her light frame off to the Jushiro home.

"Well I'll just have to get them from you!" Sentaro answered, giving chase.

"If you can catch me!" She laughed, looking back so she ran directly into the obstacle in front of her. She fell hard and paperwork went flying everywhere. Muttering curses, she looked up at the obstruction and blushed.

"Shunsui Taicho!" She gasped and scrambled upright and then was promptly knocked over as Sentaro ran into her.

"What are you two doing here?" Shunsui asked, raising his broad hat and gazing down at them through half closed eyes.

"Ukitake Taicho didn't come to work so I thought I'd bring him his paper work." Sentaro answered, gesturing at the remaining paperwork in Kiyone's hands, the rest blew in the wind.

"And you made me drop it!" Kiyone snapped, "I have a good mind to make you write it up." Shunsui arched a brow at her and she pouted back at her. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" She demanded, setting hands akimbo, tapping her foot, the paperwork she was holding fluttered away.

"Nothing, you should have looked where you were going-"

"Well you shouldn't have come out of no where!" Kiyone retorted.

"Can two sisters be more different?" Shunsui muttered.

"W-what she means to say is, how is how is Ukitake Taicho?" Sentaro cut in.

"Sick," Shunsui answered abruptly, "all night."

"Oh no! You mean while _Kiyone_ was hugging up her bed and _I_ was doing paperwork our Taicho was suffering?"

"I… suppose." Sentaro didn't care for the Taicho's response as he was too busy looking for a suddenly absent Kiyone. He looked past the Shunsui and saw her flash stepping away from them, almost gone.

"Hey, come back you!" He yelled and perused. Shunsui sighed and pulled his hat down.

"I think he can handle it." He muttered to himself and flash stepped off to his own division. When Shunsui broke the news, Kiyone rushed off to Ukitake's house, full of concern; her poor Taicho, he was such a good man and still he suffered so much!

"Ukitake Taicho?" She called before his bedroom, it was a place many people knew well, because it was the most likely place to find him. She pulled the door open and sure enough, sitting up, reading a book and looking one shade too dark for snow was her Taicho. He looked up at her and smiled with dark ringed eyes, he tilted his head at her, his long hair slipping over his shoulders.

"Kiyone, how good to see you." He set down his book and she came nearer.

"Taicho, how are you feeling?" She asked, wrought with worry, it was the worst she had ever seen him

"Fine." He answered brightly.

"Do you want some tea?" Sentaro asked, appearing from no where; well she could do better.

"Or some dumplings?" Kiyone offered.

"I can make a soup!" Why was it he was always trying to out do her?

"No, no, I'm fine, really." Ukitake answered, waving his hands at them.

"Well if you need anything," Kiyone bowed to him and Sentaro followed, "I am here to serve!" They chorused, Kiyone glowered at him, damn copy cat!

"No, no, I need nothing." He answered and coughed, they looked up at him.

"Taicho?" His coughs became drier and rocked his entire body. His shoulders heaved and he coughed harder.

"Do you want some water?" Sentaro panicked.

"He won't need that, do you want some medicine?"

"Medicine? He can't drink now, he's coughing his life out!" Sentaro crawled over to Ukitake. "There Taicho," He patted his back and Ukitake coughed harder, blood flecking his shielding hand.

"Don't do that, you're not helping him!" Kiyone snapped and pushing Sentaro away and began rubbing the heaving back. She could feel his every muscle tense as he forced his irritation out of his body and under her fingers the pale green fabric was warm and soft, white hairs trickled over her fingers. "Make yourself useful and get Unohanna Taicho." Kiyone snapped at Sentaro.

"What-" Kiyone glared at him and that was all he needed to rush out of the room. She continued to rub Ukitake's back as the coughing ravaged his throat and his body trembled. He tensed and doubled, his hands flying to his sides, one catching the covers of the bed, the other her leg. She started and stared at the bone white hand that gripped her tightly as he jolted with forceful coughs, blood rejected unto his lap and then just when she though his lungs was going to come up through is mouth, he stopped. He took a deep breath and sat up.

"There there." She whispered, rubbing his heaving shoulders slowly, she caught the scent of lemon grass and then he was on top of her. She uttered a soft cry as she felt his body collapse on her own. She could feel his too fast pulse slowing and shallow breaths deepening. She shifted her head and she could see his features soften as he was overcome by sleep. What interested her though was the feel of his soft white hair from which it seemed the lemon grass smell was coming and she ticklish feel of it on her skin; the touch of his breath and the warmth of his heavy body. Though the scene was tainted by blood and sickness, she felt her cheeks flush and her heart race.

"Oh dear," Kiyone started and tilted her head back, above her was Unohanna and a grinning Shunsui and much to her embarrassment, her sister bringing up the end.

"Seems like Ukitake done worn himself out." Shunsui sighed and lifted the limp white creature off of her. Kiyone sat up immediately, rubbing her blushing face with gloved hands and willing her racing heart to slow down, she could feel her sister's gaze on her.

"I was just about to check up on him," Unohanna spoke and Shunsui nodded; it was a conversation continued.

"Good timing too, I was going to go back, but it just didn't feel right." Shunsui answered. Kiyone stood up, blood was very much coursing though her body and every inch of her was hot. Sentaro was interested in what Unohanna was doing and Shunsui was changing the bed sheets, her sister was helping her Taicho. Sighing softly, Kiyone slipped out into one of her Taicho's gardens. In the midst of greenery, she felt her self clam and her hear slow.

"Kiyone?" Said girl started and look up, there stood her sister.

"What?" Insane sighed and sat down by her sister, Kiyone looked up at her tense, waiting for the question that would hold the obvious topic; what happened just now.

"I'm tired." Isane whined and with a wide yawn she stifled behind her hand, she rest her head on her sister's lap. Kiyone sighed with relief and rubbed Isane's silver head.

"Is it bad?" Kiyone asked.

"He's been worse." Isane sighed. Kiyone was surprised at the aspect that he could be worse off. "Kiyone…"

"What?"

"You like him." Kiyone stared and looked down at Isane.

"I do not!" She snapped, blush flooding her face, Isane smiled.

"I won't tell if you don't." Kiyone looked up at the clear blue sky.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She muttered angrily but wondered, was it that obvious? She couldn't say she was in like with him, well at least not the way people thought of like, it wasn't a make out and spend hours as close as possible kind of like, it wasn't a share tea on a winter's say kind of like… it was a-

"Kiyone," She looked up, Unohanna, Shunsui and Sentaro stepping into the garden's clearing, "can you look after Ukitake Taicho while I explain the situation to Sentaro? My fukutaicho you see is a bit tired." Kiyone looked down at her sister who had fallen asleep on her lap. She looked up at Unohanna, she could either wake her sister up and stay for the briefing of go back to the room and keep an eye on the sickly man.

"Hai," She answered, and gently removing lap from under Isane's head, went off to look after Ukitake. She found him fat asleep in his room, now dressed in light purple robes. His hair was spread around him and his body was covered with light blue sheets. He breathed slowly and deeply, he seemed fine. Then the scene of peace was shattered in her mind and she was seeing him again coughing, body jolting and blood flowing and in her imagination, he coughed blood until it covered his lap and hands, harder and harder, smearing everything, pooling and filling his lap, soaking down so that it ran from the bed and over the floor and then he stopped coughing. He was still and silent and he was lying on the floor, his white hair mingling with his blood, his eyes wide open, his lips stained red.

Kiyone covered her mouth and closed her eyes against the unpleasant imagining. If he died, she didn't think she could take it. What did this good man do so wrong to deserve this fate? She wouldn't even wish it on her worse enemies and yet here he was… and to make it worse, despite it all, he could bear it with a smile. Sobs escaped her and hot tears rolled down her cheeks, if he died… more sobs ruptured her.

"Kiyone?" She almost didn't hear him over the turbulence of her mind. She looked up to see her Taicho half sitting up, half leaning on his elbows looking at her.

"Taicho." She gasped, wiping her eyes roughly.

"Oh Kiyone." He sighed and began forcing himself fully upright.

"No Taicho, lie down." She rushed over to him but he was already up.

"Are those tears for me?" He asked gently, reaching over and wiping them off her cheek.

"I- I'm not crying." She answered, roughly wiping the rest off her face. He leaned forward and rest his head on her shoulder. She looked down at him, features stilled to rest by exhaustion. He shifted his legs weakly and moved so that his weight rest on her. His breaths came slow and deep again and she shifted causing his head to slide down and fall on her lap. She looked down at his peaceful face, white hair spread around him and spilling over her lap and across the floor.

It was the kind of like where she wanted to take away his pain, to suffer for him. The kind of like that made her want to make him healthy again. He was already happy, but it was the like that made her want to give him a good reason to be happy. She admired him because he was so strong in the face of death happy in the eyes of pain. But her like was the sort that made her want to know how to make his world perfect. In fact, isn't like she feels… it is love.


End file.
